The 2016 Environments for Aging Expo & Conference took place April 9-12 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. Featuring three local site tours of senior living communities; keynote presentations covering design for the visually impaired and “the power of positive aging”; a panel discussion on ambitious, in-progress programs to create age-friendly cities; and more than 50 educational sessions, the show attracted a record crowd.

Approximately 900 senior living architects, designers, providers, real-estate executives, students, educators, suppliers, and more were on hand for this year’s event, representing a 34 percent increase in attendance over 2015. On the exhibit hall floor, net square footage increased 48 percent year over year, with the number of exhibitors growing by 9.5 percent.

In addition to the educational programming and trade show, the 2016 EFA Expo included an awards luncheon, honoring winners from Environments for Aging magazine’s two annual competitions: Design Showcase and the Remodel/Renovation Competition. A networking reception was held on the exhibit hall floor on Sunday night, while the annual EFA networking event took place Monday evening at a nearby indoor/outdoor venue, The Belmont.

The presenting sponsor for the 2016 EFA Expo was Kwalu; the conference program was developed in partnership with the Center for Health Design, with support from AAHID, AIA’s Design for Aging Knowledge Community, ASID, IIDA, and SAGE.  


Next year’s event will be colocated with the home medical equipment trade show Medtrade Spring, Feb. 26-March 1, 2017, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. More coverage of the educational sessions and tours at this year’s show can be found on the Environments for Aging website, efamagazine.com.